Running

Every breath you take does affect the moves you make

Jana Chytilova/Postmedia files

It's important to be aware of your own breathing patterns before, during and after a race or while training. Short, shallow breathing, for example like you might while nervously waiting for a race to start, could end up causing you to hyperventilate.

Are you looking for a recommended way to breathe that avoids the dreaded “runner’s stitch?” Have you tried lots of stuff and found that exhaling all the air from the lungs seems to work in a pinch? I’ll bet you’d like to find a way to run without getting it at all. Try thinking first about your whole approach to breathing: Do you take long ins and outs from your mouth? From your nose? Or is there some other sort of pattern your breathing tends to follow?

Breathing, the simple act of inhaling and exhaling, can be complicated. Much like running, the act of putting one foot in front of the other is a lot more complicated than one would expect. Watch the super-talented singer who has mastered breathing. This mastery allows them to hit and hold the long high notes.

Better yet, take the example of a swimmer who has mastered breathing, if for no other reason than they do not want to get a mouth full of water. As runners, we occasionally get caught up in our sport and forget basics about breathing. We start our runs in a race or group environment and the excitement causes us to breathe high in our chest, rather than “belly” breathing. The short, high breathing can cause a runner to hyperventilate or get the dreaded runner’s stitch. Here are some tips that will make your stitch go away and get you more relaxed in your breathing, thereby allowing you to run faster.

Stand up tall, shoulders back and put one hand on your belly. Purse your lips and fully exhale. When we fully exhale we do not need to think about breathing in, as nature does this as part of our survival technique. We breathe in relaxed and “belly breathe” when we fully exhale. This deep breathing is both more relaxed and more efficient in the use of oxygen. Keep your breathing relaxed, deep, rhythmic and in time with your running stride by concentrating on fully exhaling. Inhale in a relaxed, full, deep breath. Now, as you run, concentrate on the upper body being relaxed and rhythmic with the power of your running focused on your hip down. The initial power is coming from the push off of the ankle and the glide and relaxed lift of the knee coming from the hip flexors. Save the huffing and puffing for the big bad wolf stories. Now you know why one of the most common things a coach gets the athlete to concentrate on is to relax. The more relaxed we are, the higher the level of performance.

Aerobic or anaerobic? That is the question

These terms are thrown around quite loosely in the gyms and on the track these days. Here’s the lowdown on what they really mean. Aerobic means “in the presence of oxygen.” What makes an activity aerobic or not is its intensity. Energy for low-intensity exercise can be supplied by aerobic metabolism. Although aerobic metabolism can supply a lot of energy (from birth to death), it can only do so quite slowly. Aerobic metabolism is very efficient and has very few by-products such as lactic acid. Only very small amounts of lactic acid are produced during aerobic exercise, and this can normally be removed by the body before we feel any adverse effects.

During high-intensity exercise there is a quick and high demand for energy at a very fast rate. Since aerobic metabolism is too slow to supply the energy, our body must shift gears and produce energy at a faster rate. Although anaerobic metabolism can produce a lot of energy in a very short time, the chemical reactions involved create a great amount of lactic acid. So much lactic acid is produced that we cannot get rid of it fast enough, causing it to accumulate in the muscles and blood. Lactic acid accumulation to a high level causes that burning feeling in the legs and queasy feeling in the stomach. If anaerobic exercise persists, lactic acid interferes in the energy-

making process. Exercise intensity will have to slow in order to continue or come to a complete halt. This is why predominantly anaerobic exercise can be done for no longer than approximately two minutes. Yes, only two, even for highly trained athletes. For most of us, it’s less!

“Anaerobic” means “in the absence of oxygen.” When the intensity of exercise is too high for the body to get enough oxygen, and aerobic metabolism is too slow to supply energy at such a fast rate, the body must shift gears and produce energy by anaerobic metabolism. Such high-intensity exercise is called “anaerobic exercise.”

Examples of predominantly anaerobic exercise include speed work, but remember that warming up and cooling down before and after speed training is essential.

No one activity is only aerobic or only anaerobic. Most activities that we participate in day to day require both types of metabolism.

• This article is excerpted from the national bestseller Running: The Complete Guide to Building Your Running Program by John Stanton.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.